I love these “rankings” so early in the season. I mean really, who really knows which team will perform til week 17 and into the playoffs? Well, if any team is going to do that, my money is on Eli and the Giants. Say what you will about Eli Manning, compare him to his brother or father, but the guy wins.

I’m going to roll off some stats for you: 15,370 yards, 103 touchdowns, 1 Super Bowl Win and 1 Super Bowl MVP trophy. Not bad for a 6th year player. Now take away his best receiver due to stupidity, and through week three you have 5 touchdowns, only 1 interception, 747 yards and a qb rating of 104.1..oh and the Giants are 3-0.
Now we can switch gears to the Giants defense, who rank 2nd in total defense with 245.3, 1st in passing yards per game with 124.0 (that tampa game really helped that out), and the one weakness 20th in run-stopping defense with 121.3 per game while allowing 4 touchdowns.

The Giants may not be the most flashy team in the NFL, they may not have Plaxico or Strahan anymore. They do, however, have Steve Smith and Mario Manningham who continue to look dominant. I’m looking forward to the rest of the regular season, and I’ll be watching Coughlin’s Giants all the way to the playoffs.

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Remember the good ol’ days, when your favorite team could just nail the quarterback, and you cheered? Yeah, that era is over.

I have no problem with rules that govern the complete abuse of quarterbacks after the ball is thrown, or purposely taking a cheap shot to take them out of the game….but this is ridiculous. Week after week, teams are receiving personal fouls on plays that involve simply taking the quarterback to the ground the old fashioned way, HARD. Why is that wrong? Quick answer: It isn’t. The NFL is completely allowing referees to take over the outcome of the game, and that is just wrong. It comes to the point where you see a quarterback hit in any way, and you assume the inevitable flag to follow. Is the NFL questioning the durability of present day quarterbacks? Where did the hard-nosed face of the NFL go? I remember watching Aikman, Montana and even early day Favre get nailed by an opposing defenders without any thought of a penalty. I guess I just miss watching the big hits, the absence of penalty thoughts and the “black and blue” league. I believe they need to make some changes, or “unchange” if you will to some penalties that have been changed over the last couple years. To be frank, we as fans aren’t the only ones who think this way. Last year, Troy Polamalu of the Pittsburgh Steelers was quoted saying,

“football loses so much of its essence when it becomes like a pansy game.” He went on to say, “It has more to do with money and not really with our safety.”

Let me start this whole thing off by saying I’m a Chicago Bears fan, and traditionally do not care for any New York teams. With that said, it’s impossible to ignore what’s going on with the J!E!T!S! They look like a team on a mission, and it all starts with their quarterback Mark Sanchez. The young USC product is showing incredible poise while under pressure, and is taking this Jets team on his shoulders. His 4 touchdowns, 2 interceptions and 606 yards or the quarterback rating of 87.7 doesn’t seem all that impressive, until you watch the game. He looks like a veteran quarterback in the pocket, and the best thing about him to Jets’ fans is, he’s only going to get better.

Now let’s turn the tides a minute to the defense. They came into the season completely underrated, and i’m not sure that’s changed much in the eyes of so-called “experts.” The fact of the matter is, they stopped Tom Brady cold. They stopped the whole NE offense dead in their tracks, but that was last week and Sunday brought a brand new opponent with brand new problems Sanchez and the “D” to tangle with. Enter now, 5 man pressure and a very confused Kerry Collins who had an unbelievable 13 straight incomplete passes. Chris Johnson had his usual good game, and LenDale White ran well, so if I could see one glaring weakness with the Jets, it would be their run stopping defense, then again Chris Johnson didn’t run for 200 yards so I suppose that’s a plus for New York. If we can even add one more plus to an already stellar start to the season. Are the Jets the real deal? I believe it’s too early to tell, but in during the next 3 months I’m sure the Jets will give New York something unexpected to cheer about.

In a closing about the Jets, I love the approach Rex Ryan brings to the coaching table. He’s stern, he’s honest and if nothing else…he’s winning.

First things first, this is our first installment of who to start/sit. These picks are obviously just our opinion, so we can’t guarantee any results…so here we go:

WEEK 3

WR:

Take a look back at last week’s games, and you’ll know you have a definite start in Mario Manningham. Eli looked as if he wanted Manningham to be the main target versus the Cowboys, and look for that to stay the same against the bucs. Steve Smith (giants) is also a must start.

Vincent Jackson looked like his old self, and I expect that to catapult him into a big week against the dolphins. I’m thinking he hits the end zone once and has around 5-6 catches for 70ish yards. A definite must start.

Braylon Edwards Should have a good week this week against the ravens, I not only think Edwards has to perform for Cleveland to win, I believe he will and they will.

Sort of a sleeper pick, if you have him…it might be worth giving Johnny Knox a start. He and Cutler seem to have a good chemistry going, and that can be a potent combination.

While we had an interesting time trying to figure out our definite sits for this weekend, Benard Berrian, Justin Gage and Roddy White came to mind. Sitting these three would be a good idea for fantasy owners.

RB:

Knoshown Moreno, Ray Rice and Tim hightower look like locks for this weekend. I would definitely start them if you have em. Knoshown Moreno was a great sleeper pick if you drafted him, however the chances are he won’t still be available on the FA list. Ray Rice has been a nice little addition to fantasy teams. He has been the main guy in Baltimore this year, and I expect him to have a big game against Cleveland. Tim Hightower was a little wishy/washy on my list this week…he may have a huge week or he could be a dud. If he’s in a flex spot, it may be worth a shot.

The only definite sit I have this week is Cedric Benson. Don’t even look at him, unless you’re sandbagging for a loss.

QB:

I don’t think it really needs noting the definites such as: Brees and Manning, so I don’t even put them on the list. However, I’d start Eli, Rivers and Sanchez this week. Eli is starting to look pretty consistant, and Sanchez is coming into his own in New York. Rivers seems to be an instant lock this week against Miami. Look for him and Vincent Jackson to hook up quite a few times.